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'-' -December, 1962 Number 12

Jark 'ltltst<!ln Photo There 's no shortage of muskra ts In Iowa: tra ppe rs a re encouraged t o help In their harvest .

An Old and New Pastime D ennl Rehder

'1 the l"arly days of our land. when the ).Ii~sissippi River was deep he wilderness to the west, it was lhe trapper and the demand for lhat brought civilization Lo Iowa and surrounding stales. The de-

nll for beaver pelts by Lhc gentlemen here and abroad to use in lhc Vet: hat oftercd great rc\vards for the trapper willing to bra\•e the ~alton of the wilderness. he Mississippi River became the great inland routl• to the rich trap­

g country of the north. As the trapper moved. so also did the ~er, the businessman, and the vestiges of our early American civili-10": Towns grew up and the Union advanced evet· wcstwarn. Al­ys It was the trapper breaking the new ground for those who would ow. \s lirne passed other econom1cs took the spotlight from thL trapping lf'~sion. The agr1cultural complex of th e middlewest supplied the :on With its foodstuffs. But farm boys continued lo ply the ancient l l n dally con tact with the outdoors. they made a lillie money

T>JHng the abundant fu1·bearcrs around their neighborhood 1 oday, Lt appmg for a living has declined, but most of us raised on · far m trapped gophe1·s for a nickel from Dad and the neighbors and

took what bounty money we could get. Muskrat trapping was the next st <'p. with mink and fox to follow.

Ho\\' many of us used to lie awake at night, anticipating the fabu­lous r.atches that would be waiting in our traps come mornmg? Those fabulous catches nevex quite met out· expectatiOns, but th~ anticipation wns worth the trouble.

Certainly in these times, the sport of trapping is based on the prep­m·alion and anttc1palion rathet lhan lhc amonnt of moncv to be made. GrunlL1d a fellow can make some money trappmg, but \~hen the cost mvolved and the money gained arc compared trapping is not going to make you rich.

Mink trapping is still highly p1·ofitable even though the commercial mini< farm has made inroads into the mar·kel. The mmk is, however the toughest Iowa furbearer to trap with good success. The good mini< trapper will know just where Ute mink 1s likely to go and \\hat attracts his curiosity. He will know the habits of hts quarry and the practices of concealing, hiding, deceiving, and camouflaging his set to outwil lhe mink

Mosl other Iowa furberu·er s do not offer enough money Lo be the sole reason for trapping them. The fox and coyote are next to the mmk as far as difficulty in trapping is concerned. However. after the

(Con tinut'll on Jlll.:'l! 96

Page 90 IOWA CONSERVATIONIST

Iowa Conservation; s t Const:'rvutJOn l'omm•s~1ott w1L h t'l'-vot 21 DucombPl" 1962 No. 12 g'"l •'tS f ubl h d nil y by lho I:WIIO Cons rva lion Com 1 1 n. East 7th and Co<Jrl Moln w 1 1 wD. Addross all mof ub alp­ton l'!llan f tJddr f rm 3579 mmu mpts mat ltoms to IJ:E'at atidr ss abovo

S\lbsc:rlpllon pr •wo y ar <:JI $1 00 Second :1 1ss stag paid al

Mom I WQ

No Rights Rcservod) N Rl AN A ERBE G.lvemor GLEN G. POWERS Direct r

1 ,,., ..., '"n "\J'tm .... Appt c \ ,_tl ' ' ..1 .. gl\'c n fot an op­

tion to Stockllnm in lht:> Lak(' A nil n lll't'n 1 or ()(l rtc't es inl'l11ding n t t•nde of ';' 5 ncres nl n cost (•f '1350ll.

Ko IH'Ltou wns Lnk"n on a 1'('-TAMES R SHERMAN, Ed1tnr que~! I rom t h(• Highway Comm is-g~LS ~u~m~wN M~r:_a:rinqll Edt~r r Sl<lll for· the tmnstet ot 2.7 Ull cs

MEMBERS OF THE COI'iMISSlON al I h<' l'lllt'niii'C 1)1 llll' .t\ tnPS Slalt· A. N HUMISTON, 0 :: ~ d, FOJt'Sl i':mserv. GEORGE H, MEYER ICe ham .m •

.. .. ...... . • ... _.. • .... _ ... Elklldo• A ppl'U\'al \\'11!4 gi\'t'l1 fot' till' llSL' SHERRY 'R riSHFR. . .. ... . .. .Dos Mo.ne ot :>tryoi1)3Jll rioc·ks on lll'tllicinl EARl, E JARVI<:: Wfllon Jun lion ROBERT E BEEBE.. .... .. . . Sioux City lalws slmillll' tn tlw l)'pl'S con-rn WEINHEIMER . Gre01hold sttlll'tl.'cl by l he f 'ollSC'I"\'ULJOn Com-et YDE M FRUDDE~ Groenn CTRCUl.ATlON THIS ISSUE 54,000

COMMISSION MINUTES Dt•

1962

GCXTR L A ll~port o C mservalion f"om·

rniss10n planning- program was ~"lvcn by Lester Faht>r.

,\ 1 esolnllon hunonng the lat-:-Paul EtTiugton of Ames was passPrl.

nne pel ~on was autholized to t1·a VI' I to Poynette. \Visconsin . De· r·et ther 9-16, and two JWOp!P to Puxic-o, Missouri, January ()·13, tot· lhP pmpose of helping in the Biol­ogy Wing-Bel' Sess10ns.

One person \ lS aulhol'izerl to tnl\'ul l<) Lincoln . .Nebraska. :Ko­\'emher 26-~8. to coopcrah• in AACI plnnning meetmg.

One person wns aulhorizc<l to tr-a , . ..-~ to Dallas, Texas, January 13-1 n, to a shooting pt·eseJ \'C op •t·· u t01·s' nweti11g.

Th1·ee people are authorized to ll·av<•l to Philo, Illinois, to meet with the Illinois Conser-vation Gtlm­mlssion personnel.

Approval was g1ven tht.> design and plan•mt.•nt 01 a plaque honm·­mg the former du·N::tor, Bruc<' Stiles.

.l\hs. J{athel'ine M . I<'ah'".Y of Al­bia met wilh the CommissiOn to discuss small lakes program.

The presen L Fish and Game C'on· servali(JJl Ollicer~· eligibility Jist wn:;. cancel0cl.

Approval was given lo slart tht tntinmg of two new Conservation () ffi n: rs

J•'TS H A "'''D 0 :\JJ<~ An opllon \\as appt'O\ eel fot pur­

(' hasP of ten acn>s at $1 600 for a t1shing ncces:; nLal Rub1o in \\ u;h­mglon < 'mmty.

An opllon wa:-; appnl\'ed for pur· <·hasc ol -shore !me on Silver Lake in Dickinson County, consistmg of :m :lCI'CS at 10,500.

Appnwal was given for an op­tion for the pun·hasc of 190 acres at $33,000 nea1· Swan Lak(• in T>icl<inson Count v.

A report was given hy f<;arl Rose on tht• status of the slllall lak~.o dcv(~ loprn en l prog-ram

Commission policies gov,·mlng I he re-employment of Conserva­uon Officers were moduicd

'l'lll! ro,gignnlion of LestPr I• ah<>r was submitted and aceeptf'd by th

m issiou, A propos<'d II\ e-yeaa stat'-' park~

l'Oa(i Jll ugt•n Ill I 01' the Hi~hway

CommissiOn wns npptO\t'd. A count<'l'-offi'J' to Herman Loll

of Dubuque wns nuthot1ze<1 con­cerning- lhc con\'t'ynnc<' 01 ~i~hL

:!Cit'S of Jnnd adJfit'Cnl tO the JU­li ~n Dubuque g1·a \'I..'::Hll..'.

Appi'Ovnl was giv£·n to an opuon fur JlUl'<'husc (JI :l6 fi acres of land at tn,{iOO fl om l'<'at son ncar the cnlran(·e to \'ildng Lal<~' .

App1 oval wns gi\'Cn llw Anwd­t•nn LPgion of C: lucllu oolt fol' pet·­mlssion to ('OllSlt'IH't n ShCJJ t aCCt'SS n)~HI in Pnion Ct'O\'l' slatl• pnrk.

A lcmpunny hndgt> crossing n'­qll~·sled hy the Highway Commis­sion in Bomu' County durmg c:on­stJ twllon wut·k wns appro\'ccl,

A tr>rnporal')' hndge crossing t·e­qtH•sled hy t hC' lllghwny Commis­sion 111 Polk County tor use dunng freeway construe L1on wa..; ap­proved.

A pp1 O\'al was given n t cqnest hy the 1 Jighway Commission for a Big Sioux hI' i d g c crossing in \VoortlJun· C'ounty.

CO l '-'TY < 0 '\ -..J 1<\ \TIO~

.\(''l J \IT II• "

<.'layton County received ap· pnn"a I I o1• l he aequ isitiun of 59.5 acn·s of hmcl al a cost of S!l.5llu loca led on the \' olgn R i\ <!l" for usc as an outdo01 l'lassroom ancl a g~ncra I pal'l<

M n rshnll C'oun ty recm ved ap­pl'Oval for the :tcquJsilwn of 80 ac·t·c>s uf land <',\lied thP Holland A.c<'ess ana loc :tl<.>cl un the Io\\ a Ri\1•r nl a cost uf $2,9011 for ust• as a fishul~ ac·c·pss and pi(­mekmg an•n.

Pnlk County 1 '-'<'<'1\'f'd appt'0\'31 for acqlllsttJOn of 157 ..1 acres ot land in lht~ Y cnd~:t' Cn!ek Lalw au• a at a total f!ost of :)42 ,9110 t 01

use as part of the artihcial lak(! pat· I<.

B1 cm"l County n•cPi\"ud apprO\'­al of a development plan for con­sltuetwn <>1 lhc C'cnl1 al I leadqual·­leu~ a1 t•n lnc•att>cl n<';H· Ott• south C'dg<' ol Tripoli.

Buena V1sta C'ounty n>ceivcd ap· proval of n d~vl'lopmenl plan fot· Linn c;, 0\'C Parle ndjaCl'llt to the town of Linn r.rovc ulong lhc Lit­t le Swux 1{1\'t'l'.

('Jayton ( •ounty rcct-ivecl ap· proval o( a dcwloprnent plan for Rcinw1 Parle lo,•ntecl sottlh of El­ltw.lcr on tht• Turlcey Hiver for use

PRECIOUS SILENCE l'el haps on•• •>I t ht> riNII'(.•sl gilb best owed upon the fot·~~l

the r·ampm fishc1mnn. huntN', nntUJ·alisl. and just plain wood dt•tl'l' Is llw S(lolhmg nc<•tm· of s1lcnce, the vPivet hu=-h of a starlit ntng in Ute woods that perm1t.s human insp1raUon to roam in un t111lwd lmnqulllty, nnd t'l vstnllzes the vague l(h•as of the hnt·rwd day mind

Thel'e 1s hltl•• •'llOIIgh Slh~lll't~ in the alum shattering n"alrn of The hollow vo!Pes of politwnl nnd P.<'onom1c p1 ophcts mingle '' 1t hfll'sh sounds or lh(• llllldllllPI'Y o1 ''progress" and the showl h tl'uths or a<lvt•t'lislng h) assault eat'S, eyes and credulity m m dost>s I rom dawn ll) becl-linu•. f{oused by a t•inging nlnrm, ea1•h m mshes out ci:Hiy to his own pet sound-i11lcd prison. Even the faJrr ha.•:: lt'aded lhc !'Oft )O\\'lllg Of en llle fot• the Whirr of mtlC'hiiH!I')' tnd 1

milking maduue p1 ecludes the soliloquy mspu·ed by th~"' wat m tiiU 1ull udtl('l' and snfl leai.B Ill' lltr' lllslol'll ' ftunily cow.

1t is onlv natm nl thnt man 1s bC'coming imn ed to sounds, a lionPd deatness Is n prerequtstle fm sanitv m mnny fields 01 coutrnP Rud1o, telephone, nnd lelc\'ISion have allow\'d tentacles of the world din to im•ad · U1,-. home Cao:;unl conversation is invanablv p tuated by E'ntr"nlies to speak more loudly or clearly To gnmt "h th " how's that?", "\\ hndjrumy?" Ol' some eqUivalent querY is almost mutt<'. Tunid persons speak ~oflly and remum unheard; azgr :-:peak •1s Rhoul rUJll, and nbusr• their elocutiOn w1th O\"t'r-empn The nrl of smc 'I c conversation lms almost cca:-etl Lo e.....:io:t m dt•nsely populatc:>d nt eas.

Ht.•hN ftom the din of a world, appaumtly dedicated to a cont bt~g.._., and htggea· ''l.mllgs," mnv be di~covet·ed in natural WJldt n St'tllngs. That stJC'h t Pltef ts sought JS e\'iden<>ed by hordes of p \\ ho lea,·e c•ommerc€:' behmd on hohday~ and Wl'ekends to seek n 1 llt• sylvau havt•n. llowevet•, e:;t clpe ts <hfticult to actuev<• unl fnt•tily alllotnohtlt:> and the outhoal'll motoz• nrro r~linqtnshed en 1

F~~w pPofJit.• tocluy a t'O I ar111lia t' with sih.>nce ancl those who crH un• it nr~ ollt'n frightcnNI by il A r·nnstnnt t•umhle of .sound hus l.~tt•on• fu111ilint· ac.·~·nmpanmwnl to d:uly t·outme and the city dw~ller In p t~<·ulnr fuels nnk~d anll unprutel'lt'd without tl. Losl in the 1011

mtxtut e of the :;ounds ut htlllHIIt soc1ety are th .. • pure unrlilut indivulual mc~sages \\hi~ h tan only be heard mtd absolute 01

total salenl't•; tlw Hit ot hu·d wmgs <'Ollll'S to tlw woods mt~an clear cnll of a loon rea< he:-; fH't'Oss th<> water to the boatman resltn his Oat's; lhc l 'llStlt> ot nm them lig-hts hl.'ralds n cold wmte1 1

cicadas induce to1por on a warm autumn aften10on: a d~ad tret I to lhl' wind and 1mparts a crt•akmg gt'c>an to the listener; the drum message of the groU~>(' com{'s clcaJ·ly to the tented .sleeper as hr h1s head neat• the ground.

Asslll edly lilt• golden s!IPnce ot nature 1s J't>sen·ed tor the m foot. Only he c·sm lt•avt" the chl't strewn path ot his fellows and \\.tlk the soH moss of noturo•'s lll\'llll\2' carpel. Only he will noli sounds of the highwny t·cecdc unt iJ distance shuts them out. Onh t1 Will hi' cnlt•r lhl• silent wur·ld where the smallest sound has a Int Ill

Thcl't' IS sonH'llllng Cl'l'ic and chnrnung nbottt enlcrmg a silent 1 ,1

that tnggcrs the Sl'nses. I<~ars. eYes. nose, and innat.:> peH'epUOI g new awat·ctwss. Thl• tibt·t·s of llw body set:m to be at ont•c an1111Rtt'll rei:Lxcd , Pl'tly annnymH·c.s <'rcated ·by crowdt.!d 11\•ing fado to in" nificancc 111 lht sharp lo<'us of nn unclull<'t'ecl enviJ·onmenL. and lrt objectJ\'es tu quire prommenee. The narcotic L'ifi!ct ot slkllCl tl inl1 uder unci sunoundlngs alikL' ancl this very unilv set:;; the ~;t fol' calm nmlcmpla liOll, likt· n clean while sh~et of· paper or nn cluttered clJ'awing bonrd , \\'ailing for lhe pencil of the dcsiglll'l'. sil~r far from l>l' ing em ply, as Slip posed by the untmngmatl\· .. •, b tl ul• stale to hl' chl't'tsht'cl. To sL•cl< it 1s to .se~k peace and lhe hichh'll sn sounds thnl SJ>l'al< lt·uthfully ot the world'5 beginntngs "Taken wal~ lhe woods and listen," l{cprintt)d from Ltr11£l-FnnJSt·~Vildf•ft: ,111

as a roarlsuh• parl< and ovemight camptng area.

Fayl•tlt' County t·~c· t·tvcd np· proval of a dt•v,•lopnu.•n t plan J m· Gouldsbm·g Pnt·lt ltJt'Hterl li\'t.' mil(•s north of llawltt•ye for pH'nickmg ancl campin~ usc.

\\'intwbago < 'mmt y t·ccCJ\'('d np­pro\'al m n rlt•\'clopmcnt plan tor lhe Hogshat•k rel·rca I ion art>a wluch \'ill be IISl'd lot hunting, picnic It ing And cu tllplllg,

llauulton < 'onnt y Conspn•ation Board was nuLhnrizPcl to raise llw level 01 Little \\'all Lnlw 12 inch1•s afll't' me~l ing lht'l'l' eon eli! ions which were :-;Jwdtictl.

\Ym th Count v was !!1\'('11 l . "' tmssion to ra1sc the le\'el ol Sll Lake b\· two ieet contingl'nt lhcu· 1~eeling lht·ec pHnl!:l '' hich "·ere! specLfil•d.

EzghLy·scven iiH ht:s of sr tell in 27 hours at ~11\ e1 U Colot·ndo.

RnO\\ fia kes many tune~ Ill(

lo fotm large aggregat,•s. ::o t 1mes called "gi;:>~nl snowtlnk Some aggt·egn tes have nwa~t lifleen inches in wtdth nnd ,•I lilt. hes lhit'J,

IOWA fl

e

..

IO W A CONSERVATION I ST

•

. (, Jim r;tu tHUnl l'hr l

Creating a Lewis and Clark Trail

Action \\as taken in Omaha last month to implement planning for a Lcw1s and Clark Trail commcm­(!l'almg- tht' route taken hy the CUt ' I)' l'Xplorcrs. The J X I Ding\ Dnt·lmg- }.1 oundation. Inc .. <:.ailed to l hl• meeting 67 represenlati\•cs of l'nnscr vation organiZations stale u nrl fccl<'l.t I agenctes, historical so­<'tClll'S, ttnd others interested in the proposal fi1·::;t advanced by the lAL<' Ding Da r ling, long-lime consrrvu­lwn !Puder.

Chairman of the meeting was ~lwny F'ishcl, Iowa Conservation Commissioner from Des :\'Ioines and a trustee of the Ding Darling li'ounda l mn . Iowa . X ebraska. M is­souri. Soul h Dakota and North Dakota were represented among the slate~ .

TIH' re.snlution~ pa..;seci l'alll'it fOI' thn•c preliminary steps n~ces­snry to turn Darling's drl."am into n•nliLy. Tht' first step was to l'C­

qucst the secrctat·y ot lhe intcl'iOI' tn r.oopet·ation wilh the secrt•Lary ol agriculture. thL secretary of tlw mmy, and the len states included tu study th-.· propo~al and draw up nn m·cr-n II plan fot· the Lewis and <..;Jal'k Trn1l

The Whlte·t a lled Deer.

'I'll(' srC'ond step asked C'ongrcss to Jlrovicll' the funds necessa rv for suC'h n study by the Department of tlw Interior.

OWA MAMMALS E ldit• ~fu ... t nrd Ga m .- IJIHIO &:Iflt

\\'hitc·- t ail~d D c•(•r OdoroilciiS l'il f/ lllfliiWi

PntifiC'ation Th" large 7-11 tail with n wh1tc undcrsirlc

es best to identify this ammal. It males average about 185 1tls although much larger ones ~hlng oyer· ·100 pounds have 1 taken. 1\falc•s arc antl<•red stand about 3.0-:~.5 f£•cl nt the 1lder. f.'emales arc consider-

;. · smallcl ', wilh Lhc average ~ht for adulls about 1•15 1ds. Deer nrc reddish in sum­With a gt·ayHsh b t·own coal in

Cl' F'awns are spol lt'd unlll months old.

llll l{(' Throu ghuul Iowa

a hitat Pnmanly toun•l along rled stlcam bottoms and tim­'<1 arPas

•'I•roduC't ion The 1 ut r ht·Ped­seas:>n 1 extends from Sl•ptt'm­to December in Iowa, with No­ber being the peak month ks are polygamous and mate 1 all docs lhcy cnn. About 75 cent of the female fH\\ '0$ are

I In Iov.·a; th ts early b reeding ~enera lly not round in mo:sl es. Gestulton per iod Is about clays ( s.r1 months 1 w llh docs

cally having one fawn l hc Hrsl t• anct two lhcreat'ter . T riplets not unco mmon .

Hhit.., l>ec1 m·e :-wcrcli\'l' and 1

' ss keen powers ot hearing

and smelL They tend to hl• ne­pusculal' and arc most lt'P(jtl('llli.Y

seen during lhe periods bl.'fore nnd shor lly aftet s1mr1se and sunset Iowa deer eat browse 1 tw•gs from bushes and trees). acoms. wald grapes, corn. alfal fa, Joc•ust pods and seeds, clo\'ers. ga·ussl's, and mushrooms They UJ'(' swafl unrl agile and can clear an t•lght-1 out. fence with ease. Bucks grow 11 new set of antlers each year and "tl1·np" their old set about January-£<'l'bru­ai'Y follm.\·ing cessation of ht'l!l'ding acttvities. The doc usually kL•cps her fawns in septnal «' lnl'a lwns during lbe early week., of l hl'h Jives; lbis is probab ly n sut·v•vnl factor and reduces the C'hfl.tH'NI of one predator killing Hll ht•r vouug

S ta tu.,_ The white-latiN! clcL't is Iowa's only remaining hig game animal and as such provicll•S spo1·t for the hunter and esthcl ic thl'iliS for the nature lover who chanCl'S to observe them. One pur·pose ot our annual bunting season is to control the number of dC'ct ~o the\'

~

are compatible with Iowa·~ nga·r­cultural interests. The only pn•d­ator of any consequ~nce to d£'er 1n

IO\\a are dogs; especially du1·ing periods of deep cnrsled :-;now whPn deer cannot successfully t>ludc dogs because they break t h rough the crust

A limited number of gun hunlt•rs are allowed to hunt deer· each ycut. Bowhtmt..ing· is also an incrm1sing ly populal.' form of rccreatiouul utt II zation of this specil's in J own

AL one time deer were essen tinily extirpated f r om I owa, but game

The t hu·d sl,.p requested the ten sl.ult•s 10\'0lved to tal{e in\'entm·y 111 historical :-iles, wildllfe rcfug<.•s, n•crcation facihttes. and highway

(Continued nn page t•.a )

management and an understandin~ pubhc brought this species back.

'lute Deer Oclocoil€W; 11cmionus

l dt•u tifi<•a t wn The mule deer is hesl d1ltuentiated from the \\ h•tc­tnilcd deer by its narrow rounded while, hlack-ltpped taiL It also h11s a large whitish rump palch Ruclcs weigh 100-300 pounds or more nnd are larger t han do<'s Mnlcs only nre antlered.

Uan~<· It is typically a western d(>er , but several have been found tn an at ea encompassing the west­em half of Iowa

lluhi tal Similar to while-tailed dt'C'I' in l o\'- a

Uc•prudm·t w n Breed m fall of ~ l'<ll 1nd bucks may gather a hnrcm. Fa\\'ns are born in June­July after gestation period of 6 .5-7 .1J months.

ll uhib -The mule deer bas a jumping, bounding gait which is quite ditterent from the graceful "'lut ctnil Its primary foods in lo\\ u at·e pl'Obably similar t o th<' "' h1le-la1led deer

Hta lllh Relatively rare in I owa. Collected specimens may be stt·ag­~ let·s llunled d1a·ing open deer seasons t he same as the while· tailed deer .

Page 91

THE MUZZLE-LOADER AND THE SPACE AGE

,Jad{ K ir-.tf> m

Countdown waitmg ror the pow­der to burn in the pnn.

Bln9t oft rcmm·e the primer. Re-entry hP's usmg the ramrod

agnm! H igh orbit lht• slnng's too short

on your powdPt' horn. b".':scapc Vt'lot'it~· the deer got

awny lwfmP I coulrt load up. L1fl o il It< lion of hunt£>r's toes

upon 111 111g heu vy load. Spy in tht· s l<y I don't en re if the

gnme wnrdt>n i!-1 using an air­plant•, I 'm leg-nl!

Nose con<• cloth pal<'h stuck in t lw barn·l

Payload rlrd you say six ounces of shot ·:

~putrult the way glmpowdet· huaus wht•n 1t gt!L' a lit lie w et.

Tl'acktng statiOn the fellow on ynm· h.'fl \\ ho cnn sec aro und the smukt•.

Fl'iencishap 7 yon and ~ix hunters yuu 1•nn t1ust not to laugh_

~l cl cury cont 1 ol keepmg your tern pt•t·a t m·e clown after missing an (•asy shot.

Explorer l - which pocket did I pill the spare capl> in?

Disl~O\ t•rct' 1 hl~l'c they are! Echo I whu l do you mean. there's

n 1-llwnl< '? All S}Sie>ms •·gu" I 'm getting so

J c·a n hear <tgllm after shoo ling. Destruct butt on t•ndt•a l'mg name

gl\·cn to smooth working tng­~cr

Rocket fuel modern tast -lnu·nmg stnokt•h'!ss powder.

C.'lpsule tla.-.k of No. R shot. also nasty name tot· modern car­lt·id~cs.

Booster londmg one bane! l\,;ce. Tcchmcal ass1stunce your budd\''s

wisecracks when lht! durn thing won't go oil.

ltecovt•t•y rliggm~ .spent balls out bl•hind the pnp~t· targets

Block house place where block­head hunters and shooters live.

A-ok I'm all right now, it was ju::>l thnl l user! too much pow­dt' l'

W cightlt•s::;nt•ss lnying· gun on lap nrt t'l' cl i ml)lng ~;teep hill.

SpnCl' suit you nct-d lots of pock­etS fot HCC'CSSOI'II'S

P tck up ••n a S<'lf explanatory; don' L It tt l'l'!

Ilt•al shield ll't'c used for refuge from othea· huntea·'s stray shots

Stugmg use of coonskin cap and fring~d jacket while hunting.

nrag dmte- when a target contest lakc.•s too long.

Orbital \'elortt y - what you get when you us<' too lar~e a pow­der mca:mrc.

Cnpl' Cann \'<•raJ what it seems likl' lo gt•L caught in lhe middle ol 11 ci rcle hunt.

Moon shol why didn't you pull dO\., n on the target?

Range Sal et y Officer- lhc sheriff says W<' got to qml shooting in his pnst urc.

Radiation counter limid fellow keepmg Lracl< o.l. ricochets in the woods.

Page 92 IOWA CONSERVA110NIST

FUN- FILLED WINTER WONDERLAND

<') ~0

Slliing, sledding, tobogganing, and ice ~katong Me popular sports .1t tat .. park~. Shelter~ ar"' opc:n .lnd firewood <~vailablc for a wintt!r p icnic: . Many young people odvoo~ntage of the wclrm fireplac:u when on winter sledding parties.

Snowflake Recreation C'.uoJ Buckmann

~late parks are open all y••ar 't"'mlfl :lnd w1nler offers a n•­fmshmg vt>nlure in outdoor rel'n'­atmn. A 1 ter lhe first frost, you ran enjoy a picnic without bug, fly nnd mosqtulo competition for food or people competition for· pir nw lr~ hlt>s and camping spols You haw I h<' pick of the park

\Vmlr-l"time lo many of nature·~ creal un•s means storing smnmcr·~ f1111ls and preparing fo1· a long nnp in a caYe or other cover t11l spnng. This season suggcsL"> th<' same to many people, and picnic baslt<>ts, r.ampmg equipment and other rccrea tion equipment is slOI'I"rl in lhc attic as folks pt eparc for a long winter in front of the 1'V.

But to tnkc advantagt\ of wm­lcr rt•crf>alion and get in on real fun and relaxntion all year, only a few replacements in l'quipment and a reverse to warm clothing arc necessary. Sleds, toboggans, 1ce skates and skis take lhe plact> of swtm equipment ancl speect­boal s.

I ce-boating You r,an even go boating. A 1-

though sailing the briny blue nnct l;ruistng down the fJVct· in canoe

row and ~pePdhnats nrc strictly for open watt'r I<'C snihng is a thnlling r~'placemcnl No more than wooden ~kcletons balanced on three runners. they spet!d do·wn the lake full Spl•c<l, thmgs of beau­ty with nylon sails napping and wmd whislling through the rig­j:,"lng

Whe>n the lak" hn~ a thin coal of snow. lhc .,;pcl•d ts slowed con­sH!t-'rably anrl 25 111il<'s per hour 1s n high speed. 'l'lH-'n' ts no water fol'cc to bn•ak monwnt um such as m summer sathng and on bare, smooth tee these l10als have been clocked at lOll mph. Blal'k Hawk, Spint Slorrn and Clear Lakes are popular but any plll'l< with a lake p(.>rm1ls icc boatmg.

Sh•dtlin~

Annthet· wintt•r lhnll is coasting or tobogganmg down steep hi1ls in state parks. The fire places. tabl~s und shelters an• avntlahle through lhe wmte1 \\'hat would he mor~ fun than to r·onw lo a roaring fire fot· a winter weinc•· roust or ~lulli­gnn ~lew aflet• loboggnning, sled­dmg or slmtmg'1 'J'oppud with hot c•on r•e or hot. chocoln le and pop­C;otn, this is L l'eal wintertime lrl!at.

(ConUnucd on l'llCe 113)

I

lc:e· boutlng 1~ dnother popular forrn of winter recreation on many of out \to~tc· lakt • These lc:~t pqa\$ 1peed Cl~rQ\' the lake fa!>ter than last summer'• c:ounttt

IOWA CONSER VATI O NIST

:ommission's Senior Employee To Retire Denny Rt•hdt•r

,>rge Kaufman. conservation r for Allamakcc County, will

Januarv 1, 1!163. Kaufman ~

he longest term of ~CI'Vice of Commission cmployl•e. H e

• >d with the old F ish and • Department bncl< in June,

lh nearly 12 years m the field nsen•n lion, George hn~ seen of t'hnng<'s lie stna·tcd wilh 1sherh•s crew on llle Mlssis­Rivcr in fish rescue nnd dls­l(ln. In those days the fish

sion. George became a conservatton officer in his home tcrrito1 y of northeast Iowa.

When George first became 11

game "·arden, wardens were held in low esteem. The publiC felt the warden was intruding into theil' own affahs and they didn't accept th~ necessity of governing- lhc tal<t~ of game

Prohihitlon

Page 93

distr1buled by mil, and ~e used to lake .SO t1m-gallon cans of llsh on t he baggage 1 stock watc1•.s m·el' tlw stnte. h rescue was a big program the Mississippi. The winter

n some of the sloughs nnd vaters destroyed ''ast num­::>f fish. Attempts to combat w: oxygen count-the cause c freeze-out always failed. 1e tlmf' it was thought that eon was lhc answer. Acra-

This was in lhe lime of prohi bition, and for George this coxper iment in abslenlion crt•atecl en forcement problems. "You were always running into sonwone's s till when on patrol," Gcot'gl' rcC"alls, "and although most of them were local people, we dtd hn\'C one on the Upper Iowa Rivt>r run hy a syndicate in Chicago." TRY THIS FOR SIZE!

Here in northeast Iowa, C~eorgc .saw the return of the d••c1·, ott r•, and heaver. j\fnny people assume there were always deer in U1is part of the state, but in tr·uth thC'y were exterminated. Deer bct•.amc ~o plentiful that ~ome control was needed. The tlrsl dec1· st.•ason mPl with general appr·ovnl and al­though control wns estuhlishc<l, the deer herd has ccmtinucd to prosper. Beaver arc now cnntmnn and the otter. while :-tl ill scnl'l'l'. can be found.

This cottonwood along the Big Sioux Rlnr in northea~ t Iowa me.1sured In at 23 feet 8 Inches aroul'd. Another near it measure d just over 20 feet . Gianh like these ar~ seen .-.long the bottom lands of western looNa. Has .,,.yone around the \ tate a bigger

one? This i$ the largest one 'till !tan~lng that we know of .

whilc VCI'Y popular, always "It was one of those things

f'li"ved in, hut were proven { lime and again,'' George rc-

Tlw Jla.wlu•y(•.., ny people have hea1·d of lhe 1sh cars. Hnwkeve I and • •eye II. C~orgc worl<ell on .ey(• Jl . " II was plush," h~

" We each had out own pull­~ hunks. Our work was pretty

al and w1• always had the nor and other dignitaries d lhc car. My boss, W . E . t, always msistcd that til£' on Ute car sleep in the1r own t and give them up to no <hg­t."

en the l<"ish and <;ame De­tent a no the Board of Con­Lion mcrg£•d m 1935 to become .;la le ConsPrvallon Commis-

Touri..,m 'Vhen the dams along the Mis­

SISSippi were raised, everyone snid stabilizing the river would t•uln the fishing. ""·e have had bcllcr Jlsh­ing since the dams came into be­ing, hut we did Jose some :fine backwater area...:;," r.corg<' said, ''and don't let anybody talk to you about stabilization she has nP'i'et' been stabilized!"

\\'ben questtoned nbout lhc growth of northeast Iowa as a Lounst attraction, Ge01·ge: hnd this to say:

"It's been grov.:mg steadily OVI'I'

the years, and this summer nw­tainly showed il. The ~andhttrs were full of campers, bonlei'S und

\\I'\ TI : Jt \\ O~DERLA."\D-(Cont 1 I .rom r &..:e 2

).Iulhgnn stew is easy to fix . Bt·mg a kettle, start a fire, put in wnli'l' (clean .snow wi11 do), ado lilt''' t, Vl1g~la bles, potatoes, etc., 8l'HSOlling and Jet boil. V\:•ood is nvnilnhle t'r om the park officer.

A H hough there aren' t any to~ • hoggan r11ns as such, tobogganing 11nd l'oasting are enjoyed in any parks with hills. Examples are Wapello Stute Park for skating, r. on s tl n g, icc fishing: Palisades Ke pler· for skiing, coasting; Back­hmw tor coasting, ice fishmg skat­ing; C'lear Lake and Cold Sp1 mgs for icc fishing. skating. Dolliw•r "'Icmm•laJ tor coasti ng. These parks also have year around pic­nir'kmg and camping e.'cept Cold Spnngs which has no camping.

P1lol Knob has a cleared area 1 OI' !-lknling, warming house and elcctt ic lights fo1 night skatmg. Usunlly if the ice is safe enough fm• la1·ge equipment, lhe park of­fleet· Will <.·lear an area for skalmg.

~ fishermen crowded the docks, and inland , we had one or our finest trout seasons.

Camping

'rhc~ rouds into parks are kept open by thc H ighway Commission and they are always open to camp­ing. Snowflal<e camping opens a new world of pleasure as your fa­vori t l' spot t a lieS a new wondl'r not. seen in the summer- Although wa t PI' is shut on m sho\\'er houses, 1t is available from the park officer.

"Our trout program up he1·c is certainly of state-wide 1mpurtnncc. The local people don't tish fn1· trout as much as lhc outsid1•t·. And \Vhen I say outsider I'm nul just talkmg about Iownns. If 11 weren't for the tishcrmcn ll'Oill \\·isconsin and 1\tinncsotn, the trout in Allamakee County would die of old age."

When asked to look back over· the vears as a game wnnlt•n and com;nent on the pluJosophy he hnd toward his work, Gc>m·~c hnd these concludmg words:

Lt>dges. Springbrook, L ewis and Clark. Geode, Gull Point. F'ort Dl'­Hance. Pme Lake, Union Grove and Oolli\'er have electrical hool{· ups sw1tched on when campers regtstC'r. Equipment should include a tmnsistor radio to check weath­l'r for<'<·nsts, and salty, non-treez­ing tneuts such as pork and hncon.

N~tturc- Study

"Enforcement of the luws 1s n ecessary, yes, but n•membeJ', nn court case e'er put on<· p1cc<" ol ~ame back into the field, T clo uot A must for winter excursions is want my people Lo thmk oJ lllP as n pnit of comfortable walking a lawman. 1 havt' t l'il'd I o sho\v shoN1 for this is the lime of year them I am n. fril'nd who is <•nn- lol hllting. A camera should bC'

Jono ·''''"""" """ '" cct·ncd wilb presc·rving· Uwu· lish n close compamon. In winter, With :fttlon Officer G~org~ K<~ufman , rl!· and game fot· the future." the leaves fallen and ground cov-

tr 42 years of service.

c1 cd with snow, aspects unseen in ~ummcr· \Jn\'CII thernsch•es creat­ing an t•ntirelv differt•nt mood and

w

uppenrunce. The n ir 1s bl'l~k and you can

hil<c, undisturbed, lo your heart's contcnl without heat fatigue.

l n the quiel of wmler, without the S\lmtn<'l' p<'ople supply, ani­mals venture from hiding and scampt'l' "tlong Uw tr'l.il. With the disn ppea r 'lnn~ of he a \'Y summer vi::;iting, parks becnml· a bird watcher's ch•light as birds become holdt•r nncl l'nstct· to sec reason cnou~h to hring bmocula1·s.

You might t 'Uilll' anoss a Jake or poncl wtlh wmtermg ducks swimmin~ lc> )(~>Cp lhe water open They stay often unt iJ around Janu­ary 1. Tluclt watching is best from noon ln :~ p .m ns they feed in the Ileitis mornmg mul evening'.

Aftl't' a fresh snow, Identifying animal lt acks nne! st~('ing the pat­t erns, is a fascinating winter sport. C'onw hnck rn a couple of dnys und rnhbit ll'at•ks are almost cvcrywht•rc. Rqmrrcl tracks come to nn abrupt hnlt a~ lhey jump to l•·ces. Jt 's not hard to find where a dePI' bedded for the night or s~e its tmC'I<s nc·nr a stream \:Vater unimnls sueh us mink and musk­t·nt can hl· Sl'l'll nnd their tracks found .

F'ishing is ortPn best in the \vin­lel' espt't'ially for walleyes and king-size perch. Any park , .. ;ith a Jake olfnrs icc llshmg which is part wulnrly g"Ood from the timt. the i<'l' fre~zes until around Xew Y<"ar's Day. An tee hous~> re­quir•·s a permit avuilabJc from the pari< otfic't'l'. A separatf> permit is ne<'essary for <'ach lake. It's a good lden lo ma l'lt the fishing hole ns n warning to skatm·s when you lcn ve.

You don't 1wed lo sadly put sum­mPr flm ill molh halls and look forwn1·t1 lo lhc ch'lldgci'Y of a long g'l'll<'ling winlt>l'. Tilnjoy your state pn1•lu; I his wintt•t· nncl take ad,•an­t ag<' of llw l'l'laxtng, ref1 eshmg ac­Uvitic~ they olfcr the year 'round

PaQo 94

Qrw l. C.letllt K ill, Ire f lw Horlr O f l 7'nu ·"Iw r h nwrr

l ~ldw \\ . ' l u .... t .tnl ( ;II IIH' h le~ l ot h i

c ·, ipplNI g:mw. to I he lrllf'

hunt r and :;porlsrnnn. ts on<' n.s­pc.!c~t ot hunling whteh ts decHh·nlv unplcnsnnt. N(• gporlsmnn wnnts to wound g-anw u nd I hen not l't'­

t'oV•'t' it. A t•etla m amc•unt of ~~ ipphng is goin~ lo cwc·lll' 111 uuy l)'JlP. of huntin~; hOW«'\'t~l', JO!;SCS

CRll he gn•nlly l'CcliJC'('Il i I hllnlt~I'S w1ll follow a few llnstc rules.

.i\lost of lhc followmg is [H 11na•· tly nppll<:.able to deer hunlmg hOWC\'t'r, much 01 il will n lso apply to nny l<inc 1 mtmg

hnn\\ \ .. u r \ V••apun Tame spCI n Ung :-orne shoot­

mg prnc•UcP on lh firing rnng~:

hcforc gomg u.ftt•r your dcca '" ltmc W('ll ))ll('nL lleJ c you cnn as­C('tl am 11 your shotgun IS funcUon­mg JIN.>plily 11 tt ts shoolmg where you atm. and also you can gl:'t som(' iclPn of JUdgmg dJstunc·<'s so you lRll usc a littll' "l{('nlucky windngc" in lhe hclcl 1f nec•·ssary.

1 Jmow shotgun slugs a1'C cx­pt•nsivc. hut why spoil your y(•ar's deet hunt b('causc Y•>ll sca•ampccl m l he wrong plnf'e? BPllct to spt:n<l n f\'w hul'ks on some sh1•1ls for prncticc than on a jug of "Old Busthcad" {II you're looking for a place to C('OIIOnlizt> I,

For maxtmum af'curacy, shot­gum; usl·d to nrc slugs :;bould have us open a hot·c as you can obtam This Is hec:ms<' lmncls "hich arc "choked down" eausc th(' slug to be defat mNI and 1m pan accuracv. I >ouhlc-hn11 el shotguns should be avoiricd when usmg ~h1gs hecausc they lf'JHI to <'l'OSShi'P ( raght hal'l'C)

shoots lo th<' left and the lett hnl'­rcl Hhoots lo the right 1 and do not generally glvr> good a t•urat·y

Highls a1 e nnothe1 matter which should be con~tdcn·d hy the sel'ious deer hunter who uses n shotgun •ncl lugs The shotgun. wll<'n used lo .-1hoot shot shells, is poinlPd, ho\H'\ t•r when u:;tng slugs tl musl be .ttmcd JUst ltke a l'Jilc. Your . p01ling goods denkt' has ll'Oll stghl:-; whit'h <!:tn he puL on :>hoi­guns nnrl Y''" <'an also ust· low­powl't scopes l) X or 2.5X 1 l o g-ood advantngP. Shotguns without adP· qua It~ s1ght mg apparatus are very mt>fhcienl dl.'cr-ldllers tmd can INtrl lo t•xccsslvt~ and nnn£'cessary l'l'ip­phng losses

J~ nu\\ \ \'ht•r t> t u :\ iln After your weapon is propc:t'I:V

s1ghll~ct m and you C"an sl'nrl a slug wh<'lf' you want 1t to go, the nl'Xt qtli'Stion is ohvtolls whel't' IS the ht~st pia ce Co hit a •leer?

I floacl and Jl('CK shots art' qul<'k anri cet lain. hut tht' hunlc1 harl hcl.l<'l' Jwow Ius weapl>n, l<now hi~ capahilil ics, and have sonw km>wl­cdge about Uw auutomv of the fleet' bt fore nt tempting let pla<·P hi!> ~hot lwt ...

'l'hc head uu-crs a l't'h•L vely srnnll target and, whtlc a head shol

IOWA CONSJ.:RVA1'10NIS'l

KILL

)

•

, I

/ . ' "' , .,/

... -r·

It ' I • u. II I tt

n , v1 t I "'~"' of ,, deer. MoH " nt e r try t o shoot fo r the chc\ t colvlty, here e n· do\•d b y ., d otted line, \lncc mo\ t of t hr vlt ill o rg.tns Me locclte d hl!rc.

15 1 z. • ft ccltvc. most h1 t'

should awl nlH•mpt H. Xccl< shots arc nl~;o ell e' tave and the Ill tent ol this ~hot IS to SCVI'I' thl' ::lpltla] column thas g1V1'S in:stanln ncous kills \\.hen ntl~mptang to rnaltc u nc(·k shot, 1l as well to rcmcmb''l' lha 1 t lw spinn I column as lnc•at•·cl in l ht• I oWN' port 1011 01 lhP ll('Ck

nnd shots should he phH•erl here. lf you shoot n hal too low nnd mass the spinal column, <'lllll!CI'S an• \'Cl'Y good that Uw wfndptpe or mnjor b}(JQ(I \'('SSCIS Will IJc SC\'Cl'crl.

lf you shoot too high, and thus ovet· lhe splnnl ( olunm, you may notU'(' th(" nnimul's h('nd drop, but cham·<"s at(' Lhnt vou have onl\' . . severed a ligament, liflrWII 11 tum 11ttduf( which lwlps to hold tht• ncC'k u nd ltNHI erect This ·wlll not kill the decl'.

P1obahly most huntt-rs should altt•rnpl lo pla<'t' tlwit· slug in the clwsl ~~ vtly of I hen· qunrry. Somt• me~tl is dNilroyl;'d, but l he chnuccs of' hilling Vlllll orgnns arc very good, fn1· it is in this arf'll that. lhe heart, lungs, liver, nnd majo1· blond V(•!iSf'IS nrl' locnlt>d,

.1\ nothct l'l'ctson for· placing shots in lhe clwsl Cl\\'lly :ti'Cil is lhc good posstb•lily lha t one or "'en both shoulclcrs 01 IPgs will he broken. Th1s wall hring the dl'cr <lown qnit•ldy an<l fo1 l<eeps. It is \\'ell to rem.-:mht•a· tlwl an a VPragt- deer is ouly lht •·c or· I hrt•c nnd om•-half tePL abo\'C lh•• ground at the shoul­der. This rrwa us l h tl most of tlw vltnl otgnns nrC' ouly about table­high ab(I\'C I h<' ground.

Puunch or stomnch shots shoulll he avotdcc.l b••crl11Sl' fHICh :-huls do not give clt•a11 lulls nnd onen leac.l to long, ~>Xhuuslive, and unfruitful alt€'mpts lo rerAnt·r· n f1tally \\'OilrHlccl d••er·. .1\ t r·uc sporlsman WOIIld pr·ef1·r a ch.!11n miss or no shol nt ull to n "g-ut shot" bt•1·nuse tlw!'l' al'l tlmo. t cer·tnin to loll tht' n111mul m "lllU •lly uflt>t' 1l has lingered fo1 SC\ erul days. Shot::;

which hn•nl< tho spm 11 column tll'ir the I'Pnr 01 the anlmul anti paralyze lhe rPar leg ure not the b~·st ~hots cath<'r hccn11se n dct.!r can make a gPlawny using only Lhe fa·onl legs.

Last wirrtcr the Consl'n•aUon 01hcl't s And Biologists co\ ~re<l s()m(> ot lhc ar cas where hunting hnd bt·~n qual~ hcuvy, lool<.ing lur dead de"r which hnd died from Uw l'Psulls of wounds dur1ng the hunt­ing season Happily, ve1 y few wert> 1ountl nnd I feel tlwt 0\11' Iowa hunters don't leave too many cnp­plcs in tho llelcl.

Aftt·r 11w Ht•t·r j , H it Assuming you have seen your

dc.-•r drop niter you shoot, don't wnstt• nny tunt• gt!llang to the spot, wr otten a downed animal will he o11ly momr•ntnr•IY J=;tttnnc<l. Re­covery can be quick anrl thP chase long It you flnn'l get. t hcrC' in n hurry. Ii I ht du r is on the ground, tlou't Lcnn vour !'lhot~un n~amst u. lrPe mtl t•1k1 1ut yom hunting knrre. l m'IINHI, npproac•h t lw an­mal from tht.: b cit ule \\ ilh you r· gun in n ready pos!lwn Ut\C the del r tht! old 1' tit x lc. t." lhut is. touch lht> l'} P with lhe b:ul'el of } lllr Wl'Upon If the ey' lWIICht'S, di~palC'h the animal quicl<ly wilh another ~hot, 1111l your knift•.

Rem~mhP.r·, approach tht• del•r trom the Uac}< ht'C t\ISt' I t il IS Still alive lhost• tl1111lng !'harp front hooves can inflict pniniul und se­rious injury lo the unsuspectang bunter.

I f your deer is only woumll•tl, ctmnccs arc al may not he nt llw spot wherr• it wenl down. Look around 1 or signs 01 blood m· ha it· to asct>t•luin thnl you cl!t! lut lhc anamul, anti if you did hit 1l, sll down and haVl' 11 srnolu• und colll·Ct your \Vits. Th• • , .. tll allow the wnumlL·cl clccr n chance to lit• !lowu, lJI 1 d, •tnd stitlf n up

l~'ollow I he lrttil and Ill' espccmlly alert around patchc:s ot' dense cover

1 'H ~ 11...--{0ontinu!!d from au•.:• ill)

installations Utat could be po1nte<1 into lhe Trail.

As viewed by Dat·lmg- th 1 \\ould include the acquislla n ccrtaan ~horeline nrcas nlon :.\lissom·• niv••t aurl othca tr nlong wh1ch Lewis and Clm k ·led m 1803-06. Th~ Trall would iru·Iudc hi l

SilPS, WiJfllift> I'ClllgP-S, for ('St S(•J"\'I'S nnd publiC-USP Ill

hunting, lishlng, ''ampang, hnntir h1king, nature study and n \{U

01 llllldtJOl' llCliVIliPS, .Many states have pluns nil

V•·loprncnt that: t'1111Id lle-tn (' \\.'llh Ute IH'oposcd •r1 ail. , l'o\\ PI'S, D1re<"lor of th" ~tat• t s ·n·at1on Comrn1ssion to! group that ~tudacs ami u hnw· be<'n made along th 1 . oul'i RtVPl' Iowans ha\t: state par·ks on 01 near lh po.sed Trnil including Lew Clru k Slate Park.

The Army Enginel:'rs at 0 cxprt'.s...;;cd their mtc1 t?sl 1 Le\\ is and Claa·l, Tratl, h r the two formPr runty cnpt un made lhc ht~tOJ'Il' joUt'Jlf')'

Dt·. Edward Cm1 ts ot \\ ton, D C .. lhc dir('rtor of th• Bureau of Outdom Recr("atlon the plan would succeed h t nu t

hns the magnitude to stu Lh I ngina t ion. J1 onse Rt'J>t'c~cntall

.John Kyle 01 Io\\'a, a mf!rnb lhe House Inlcnor Commatt·c the last Congt·ess, saHl t h T could become a tcnlity m th n ltV(' y('ars.

because these are t h wounded deer often TJsually we have soml:' sno ~ durin~ our deer !;easous helps immeasumbly in t wounded animals. This I reason '"'hY the sensons rt" h• so lnte, al'ong with ccrtnln ott considerations. I am suJ'(' tl snow cover during a clccr • greatly reduces the cnppllu l

Don't give up lool<ing tor wounded animal too soon. I r 1

lh 1t il is often diflicull lo mak• thorough search, but yom nt ~hould bt~ disciplined to the f lhnt 1t must be don('. The llliP owes it to himselt, othct hunl\ 1ml most important to wounded animal to mul<t• t•vcn• tort to locate il and da:.pntch with nlacrilv. Half-hearted tlC tr es art~ a su;e sign that a hunte not qualifit'd to hunt Ute tn!lJri cent deer which a rt: one f hnest anfi most intelligent of game spectes.

To a,•oid thc:;e e.xhausUve 1

tJ yin;; St:'arche.s for wouudnd d rl'member: get in somt' prc·"Cil pract1cc on the ri fl e rang-e h adcqua le sig-hts placl'd on Y shotgun, a nct lmow wht'l l' to pi \'our shots foa· quick, clPnll Jdll · ~o .spo1·tsman wnnt:- lO 1'111 and will uo e\ e rything hl' ~:111

avoid it. 1 n Lhe e\'cnt un antn11

edpplctl, a sportsman wi l l cxhl o'\'1..'1')' efiorl tO r('t'U\'Cl tl 'J becomes his obligation.

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IOWA CONSERVATIONIST Page 95

KENTUCKY'S IN IOWA cnce of the target shoots they blkl' to the field each fall to pro\'('

ntucky's in Iowa mny well their v.·orth on the hunt, mmw la.s:;ed as n :-;port within 11 side by side with their hl'Othc·,.

1 shooters carrying modem nuto· this cnse, the KPntucky in loaders or pump guns.

ion is not tht· so,·et·eign stn tc hat name. but the rifle. in- This takes some de~rec of good-•d in Europe. aciaptcd and nnturedness on lhe part ()1 the

muzzle-loader fan. Many jtbcs a1·c oved in the slate of Pennsyl-

d I -t t 1 t . taken at his love for lhl• tlinllcwl< l, au namcc n1 c1· 1c errJ- or cap-and-ball he <'Ul't'lt~.s . :\lony

I of the " .. . dark ann h1oody nd." jokes find him ns thc•u· lnl'gt•t. .u.t slnrll!ci as a cnll('clol''~ Bul, \\hen the hunt is o\·,~t·, you

can be sure that lhc~ ntll7.:t.lt•-loaclt•l' y ts now hcconung a clcdica­lo the llll't.' of history plus

111hen•nt qualitit•s of the gun , , and U lttVC fOI' till' l'OilUtlll'('

11Jlll'es in liH~ shooll·t·'s lllind. and nlOl'<' shooters are added

• ycat· to the swelling mnks of nuu.le-loacling socil'ly. ually a~ anfPill ac; the col1ec­and acimirers of an(iqw•s of

'I other Lypc, the muzzlc-load­dso hh\'C the thrill of actuallY mg with thmr pt'izcd and 1ered {,'11115.

lhl' layman, urumtinted, the of an ancient weapon may

· somewhat of a hnndtcap in I lursUJt ot upland h1nb m· the : animals of the woods. \Vith a

res,•arch mto I he actual use f lle Of lhPSC oJcl-lmW powrler­

('l"S, however, you hegm to up­lnle the 'Pry t·en I t'Nlson for·

usc 111 hunllng, He1·c, in u that should l~c oulmodt?d by cchnoloKiCal advntlC<'l:l of motl­cicnce, as n h<'ft and fef"l 1111-

;,on t<a modern fitl'lll'ms, and an r·acy that s<•ems nl limes nn­y fOJ a vinlngP weapon, )\\' many of tlw vaunted .22 :er• modern arms l'an IJnast a Ptng of l wo mchl!~ or Jess at undred yaHts '! \\'hat arms ufacturcr today can turn out n with a barrel lhn'P to four s long-er than 1ts own butt­{ Whtch Will balance m vour Is as though c·ustonwd "only •'Oil? •

; with most sporls, muzzlc­ng has rts clubs. Gathering

'11l'suc lheir hobby <'Otnl's an t'lmenl of Iowans who 1 ole

!! lly, <~s g't'~'nl an assorlmen.l of · Soml~ pr·ctcl'l'ing r·HI<!s, some shotguns, olhCI'S with hand­

'• I heY join I o :-;htu•c Lhe fu 11

.Jtn·ing 111 the powclc>r and shot t'amrning home the wncls and hP" 'Ph t•t t I . ·'· en a cr ae <•x pen-

will account for his ~han• or llw bag.

Many of the guns eaJTicd an• of true anclenl manufacttn'l'. A l:'lo, many of the guns coming em ttw scene are of modct n proch•c•t ion. Sc\·eral companies nrc now maldng c;optes of the tradil iona1 r•at·lv • guns. Psmg mor\! morll•rn nwth-ods of mass production, they an"! makmg guns at a pnce to t•nttec l he novice and of a quality to 5atis(y tbe perfectionist.

Another source of prime \\'PHp­

ons is the pt·acttce of rc-manutat­ture of old guns. In thts method, old guns are gathered, mamly 111

Europe. and are put in good shoot­ing condition through Uw mnnu­f act u t' e of new parts when• needed.

Shipped inlo lhc United Slnh's and distributed ove1 lh<> relnil counters. these old g1tns UJ'C now being used by hun lct·s. us I h<>y nt·c nol original in condi lion and thc•rc­fol·c of no interest to Lhc pw·•sl roll<>ctor

Muzzle-loader shooting is not for the man with litlle t ilnl' to dt•­vote to the sport. Most fans mould their own balls, tnelling lt>aci and using individual hand moulds foJ this purpose.

Slow in loading as Uwy arc. the front-loaders lake theil· toll in game and produce l heir shn rc ol fun . It isn't necessary to wPnt· a coonskin cap to feel hkt• u prt•s­ent-day Daniel Boone when ynu hold high a squirrel takt•n with om• of these old guns. You can be proud of this trophy that shO\\ s you hn \'l' not only quahfied in the fmll'lllll\ of lhe hunter, but hn\ <' lll!lslt'l'Pd

lhe skills of you I' fol'(•i'n lhPrH in po11ring ft•om a powder horn, lllen­suring from a shot nask, nnd put­Ling just the right amount of t.•lhow grease mto lhc t·amrocl , And t.•:wh

'NtAPPJ'\ <·-ra u .. d f rom pna.e~ 89)

lHIJIJ)PI' I Nuns the basu.•s on type~ (II st~t.-. , fox ha hats, and u sc of scent hP usually operates with good Sllt'Cess

In uclditaon to the above-named furbcnn.'I'S, thct e art• several other spN·acs trapped in Iowa. Mu:;kmt trappmg supplies the largest take cJI a !-;tngh" spt:>cies. Raccoon 1s next With mink and lox follO\\i ng. Then down the scale we find h(•avet·, slmnk, opossum, civet, weasel, hacl~t•r, g1·ay fox, and coyote.

As fu1· as populations an! cotwernecl. w nlwnys havt• an abundance of tux, muskt·at, beaver, badgl'l'. skunl<. opossum Cl\'t•t and rar'Ct)On. Mmk t1•appmg is closely n~gulatcd sin<'<' populullons an· never enor­mous

Open seasons are set fot all lht! furlwru•t•rs namecl ahove, with the t•xct•ption or \\easel, red fox, gray fox, ground hog, a n<l coyole whtch have u continuous open season. The ollc>t' has n conlmuous closed Sl'IISOil 0\'l'l tht> state.

The thing to rcmcmbcl' about tmpplng as I hut lhe money lakes sec­ond plan• to the :-;port. Match in~ your :-;1(111 nncl knmvlPd~e against lhe nlnhty of lht•se creatures to Sl't' thl'ollgh your attempts at deception will l'rtf.Wlldl!r a hearty respect ful' your «JlllllTY ns well a~ an increased nppre<'iation for the outdoo1·s. Jt has lH~en ~m icl that. hy nccc~ sity, the J;ootl tt·appcr is a good naltu alist. In Vi<'W uf this fact . we do not find it unusual that many of the top nalumhst. of our day got their st ru·t as youthful trappers.

BAIT AND TACKLE ON THE ICE

He< cnt year~ have shown a re­mal'lwble illl'reasc m lh<' numbers ol' lislll'rmcn v. hu htt the t'l'C•d lakt•s and rivers. ltshing is one uf our gn.twln~ ,., mter sports.

ice-CO\'· \\'mlt•l' fn.st t•st

1 >Ill lo this interest year afl<'l' j'em·, ll might be v.ise lo nolc H

lew pomt s concernmg this popula I' pn~;l ime.

fo;n l'ly season ice-fishing is the IH'St of the season. As soon a:; the :<·e is safe ln traverse the smart Jisht.•rman is out there catchmg lis h. I l 1s not because th~ fishing pickl'l up right at ter the freeze-up, it's merely a continuation of the line fall fishmg we bave come to t'XP •l't. A tlcr the freeze-up lher·c IS H gradunl dcclme m the tishing sm·t•css. Tins may take the greatl•r purl of the wmter, but it still fol­low:-; l hat the lime to go is early.

You'n• probably going to catch mme 1ish at lhis lime of the :'/Cat·, sn il follows lhat you will bring mon big ones home.

Now, 110 one JS going lo Lell you just whet'l' Lo spud your hole nnd stm·L fishing. That's pat·t of lhe spot l. F'ish generally school in l he \\ tntl'l and you'll have lo be prt>­pan·d lu make a nun1ber ol holes unlit you lind where they att•. Ont'l' you find them. you can <'X·

~ . pt•<·t to pull in your limit m a short Lime.

01w batt ts as good as anothct m winter nlthou-~h Your wallc\'t'S t> • •

and perch seem to go as '\"ell OJ'

bettc•t un artificial lures Blucg1lls and l't'nppics tend to do best on natuml baits con1 bore!' grubs. golrlt'lll·od galls. moustes. etc.

'l'hc favorite haunts of the ice

hunt bt ings new thnlls lhe bar·k­ing ol the fi.r·sl squ.i.rrel, tnl<ing t lw first b1rd in flight. achieving succ·ess at greater distances, and n11tny more.

The old frontier lhal in its day wus a tH'W frontier is a new fron 1il!l' once again

fishctmn.n nre the natm·ul lakes, the )lisslSSlJlJll and tL'i backwaters, and t h<> ~lassom·1. The artificial lakes au .. c •l 'lainly good spots, but wilh so few pt•oph" fishing them it Will tnl<t' u lot vf work to find till' ush. Fa1m ponds, too, should Jli'O\'Idi• good lishmg-, hut you'd lwlll'l' bt• JH't.•pai'L·d lo chop a lot of twll's 111 lhl• Jl'C

'rlw l>lg'g!•st pnin l to be made abc)IJI t•arly st>,1snn ice-fishing 1s Bli1 CAHEli'lJL~ ! 'l'he early ice 11111~ bt' llllt!\"l'll aud unsafe; test ttw l<' C cal·ctullv and lake eyen• . . pl'i:'{'lllltion , You can ha\·e good winlt'l lishmg, but only uy lak ng C.lll'l' Ol \ 'OUI'.o.;eJI can YOU be as-• . ~UI'Cd 01 f'llJO)'lng it

Jlru lu.·r mut l'hot Ea rly scn\on Icc fh hlng will offer the best \ port , but the Ice c.:an be tre.:ache rous.

I

'63

FISHING AT SPIRIT LAKE 1914

( J~I))lOR'" ~"''·· 1Vr 1JI'int lwluw t l fat mite stnnt bl/ Hit lnlt Stnu H'1dw If. Rton wh11 was ·we1l­lwnwu htJ rt adt.:>r~ of tire 001\"SF.R· \' \'I IO:'\ IS1' fm· 111~ lrumorou.o; stor­ies, uwi h]t 11WII 11 frnrs lhru1tglrout tile Mvle duriuq lws radio days, pm;.wd (ll('tty Or.tt>ber .!3 at tlu riff(

of 1; t. This stm"11 was rm'ittmr • u JIUII '"/(' a11d rt•ns often ?'efrrrerl In m; Rfctn's jar·orrtt•.)

~hUl \\'idO<'Y • Cnn l rihiiiiii J:; T'tllloc-

The fir~t ...... t I ever saw Spirit Lake was m Sepl~mher, HH L Mv Uncle John was making u. trii) Utere to buy horses to sell to the cm·alry when Villa \\'as go111g hog­wild in Mexico, and he took me along for company because I had nen:r scl'n a body of wal<'r anv larger than tlte Yorktown Iowa Reservoir.

\Ve took the train n .. 'i fat· ns the town of :::;piril Lnkc nnd when 1 tirst saw all lhnl water I almost cHmbcd out of th£> caboosl! we were riding in.

We got off at Orleans. the town on the isthmus hetween Spint Lakl· and East Okoboji. and Ll'tl

minutes Inter I was silling on n rloclt fishing. Uncle John had al­ready arranged for me to s lay \\·lth a fr1end ot his named M iller who rnn the stockyards in Orleans wlwrc we wou lei load the hot ses he bought at lhe fat ms around there.

Mr. Miller cnme down to the dock to call ml! to supper just as I hool<ed onto my first northern. :Mr. .Miller helped me land it and it weighed eight pounds. \Vhat a Uu·lll for a kid who had never hoolwd onto anything larger than a two-pound carp! I stood then• admiring it between glances out across the choppy waters. T couldn't see the western shore be­cause o t the sunset a.nd 1 wns imagining r slood on the deck o1 a whnl~r and had caught :\1obv Di<-•k himself.

"You ~<'t a good night':; slet•p tonight," Mr. :'\liller told rnc afln supper. "nnd tomonow mormng at lh t·cc o'clock we'll be up a·hi>adin' for the. northeast s1dc of the lake. We'Jl take a couple or dnys n.ncl c•amp out and bring back enough tish to feed the wholl' town."

Dawn nt'xt morning found us a good five miles from Orleans, about where Hales Slough is now. \\'hat a dawn! A gentle breeze bar ely wrinkled the lake and thf' tempct·atut·e must have been in the lugh tift ics.

There werP lour of us. all on good hol'ses. 1\lme was a little sot'· l'cl man• ::\lr. :\hller called Fanny for his thst wife because, he saiJ, slw was su sklttu;h. She was, too­the mare, I mt!atl As she ))J'ancl·d nlong 1 imagined l was Col'lcz riding an Indian pony acl'Oss the Isthmus of P anama and h~H·rr ~ my fi r·st lool< al the Pacific Ocean.

IOWA CONSERV A TION I S T

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IOWA CONSERVATIONIST

brings yuletide greetings every month

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lksid•s Mt". 1\llllcr and ml', then~ was a Mr. Petersen who hoped Lo sell Uncle .John some hor scs, and an olcl, old guide called the Purson. \vho wnlked on his knees because he had frozen his feet olf during thP Ctvll \\.'ar. lie wore big 1cnther knee pads and could even nm on them. His saddle had leather loops Instead of sUrn1ps and in his Civil War campaign hal and blue denim Jacket it \\'as easv to clrcnm up < icnt•ral Sherman rid­ing at tlll~ head of his troops through Ceorgia. But whal a fish· e1·man! :Mr. Miller told me confi­denlinlly lhat The Pm·son charged the "dudes" ten dollars a day to guide them on fishing tnps ar~und tlw lal<e. l {e also hnd horses for sale to Uncle John.

Mr . Miller owned a boat arouncl at whal is now Angler's Bay and we were in 1l and out on the Ial<l! by seven. I rode in the bow and The Parson ga v~ me a spear lo har puon buffalo Tht! lake was liltt glass and uflct' n couple of misses I sockL·cl lha t wicked weapon in the back of the bigge~t fish I ever saw hefon· or smcc. Talk about :\folly Dick' It took all of us to land 1 t all t''l' it had pulled the boat a good halt mile by lhe rope that held my spear. 1t weighed 68 pounds ou l\1r. Miller's scales at tlw stock yards. The biggest large-mouth buffalo f'\'Cl' caught in Spint Wt.>lghed 80 pounds.

\Vc· canu• in at noon w1th a boat load ot bulialo and I thought I hod rwv'''' enJoyed a half-day so much. That nftt>rnoon found the lako choppy 11om a southwest breezE> and we w£-nl out for perch

ancl nort.hou1 ptl<~. which lh!'>y cnlh~ll plckorel at that time.

Tht•y gave me a long cnne pole with a chalk lirw nnd a big hook. Usmg smnll mmnows fol' bn1t, we caught n lot 01 perch, some of them Wt'ighing up to n pound aiHI a half the I.Jest eating I ever had, the way lht> Pnr!'On fried th<'m .1t cam1, that night. Then, after row­ing clear over to the ,., t•st side of the luke, Wl' '' cnl ut t cr nol'l hern~. Th••y bnfte<J my hook with an eight mr.h perch nnd I sat there and sat thet·e while my compunions brought in the hig snake-like pickl~rel by lhc dozl'n. T•'inallv. nf· . . tcr the !'arson sni<l we'd better star·t haclc, I fell l';Onwlhing hit my line. ''Got one," I cried.

"Probuuly got his Jhw caught in lhe nnchot· chain agam," said l\1r.

Miller. That had happened sne times but I knew dittcri'llt t time. I braced my feet and h on for dear life. " I :!Ot a \\h a whale," I cried. " H elp me • hody. Quick!"

The Parson look the pole tr my sll aining grasp and almost out of the boat. " H e ain't a-jo ht he yelled, as nearly excited 1

e\'cr saw him. After what seemed like an It

we got the fish dose enough 10 boat for ::\fr. Pt•ten;c.n to sl lhe butt end of his pole through gills <md we lifted 1t mto the- h• It was not as h rg a::; my bufi but was the largest prdcct el Miller had ever seen. On his !ll

il weighed 28 pounds a nd was under a yard lon g

"T alk about beginner 's lUI

Thl' gnuhng system fot· the Ioree ot: the wind i:; known ns Bcaulotl \\'md Scnlt It 1s used h\ the tT. S \Veather Bun•au.

.:\muh~r 1 'itlt• anti U t•-.rription :\(ph

0 calm smulet 1 isu, vetlically ...............•. lt•~s that 1 light n.tr smolte drifts.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 2 slight ht'l'('Y.e len n s ntsll~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 a gcnllc hrecze lt•:ncs '1110 twigs in motion.... -1!! 1 moclt•t·atl' In e<'ze sm~l1 branches moved-

dust nnd light paper lifted . . 13·1<1 5 trcsh ht l'('Zc' smn II ll'C4!~ sway; wavelet s

fo rm on mland lakes. . . . . . . . . . . 1!1·!!4 G

7

8 9

10

11 12

stron~ In ee?.l~ wuHI whrslles m telegraph wires: large brn.nchcs move ........ .

!ugh wmcl whoh• tree~ m motion. \\alkin g

gale twigs slrong galt• wholl' gale

chfficull . . . . . . . . . ..•....•. lwokt>n off t r·ees; traffic slowed ....

l tum neys down. roofs damaged .. lrcus u p1·ooted: damag e con-"li<lcm h lc .. .

storm damagt' wrdespn•ad ................. . hurrko nc ..... . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • •••

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5fi-(l3 6·1-75

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